Chapter 76: Chapter 75: Professor Quirrell in Action
The next two nights were far from peaceful for Harley and his friends. They encountered a peculiar fey creature known as the Red Hat—a creature that looked incredibly ugly.
Leprechauns were already unpleasant, and Red Hats resembled ugly goblins. They knew how to wear simple clothes, were inherently vicious, murderous, and skilled at sneak attacks. They have something like a leather hat on their head, which often dyed red with the blood of their victims, their name was derived from this gruesome practice. Centuries ago, they haunted the ruins of battlefields, preying on wounded soldiers, or lurked in the dark to ambush unwary lone travelers.
Had Ted not been trailing them discreetly in the dark, Harry and the others would have been oblivious to the Red Hat following them. Ted, not one for politeness, directly fired an ice arrow as a sneak attack on the Red Hat planning an assault. The direct hit to the chest resulted in red blood gushing out in the form of red ice crystals.
Ted received 120 experience points and a card with an unknown function. The card depicted a ball of white light dragging a tail flame.
[Fairy Spirituality (White)]
Material card
The innate spirituality of fey creatures.
Ted speculated that the rich experience gained might be due to directly killing level 4 monsters instead of merely defeating them.
On another night, Malfoy's group faced a perilous encounter with a giant thorn demon tree, nearly causing injury to Goyle. This seemingly innocuous plant revealed its true nature when approached carelessly, showcasing carnivorous tendencies.
This giant thorn is not a native product, but originating from another world. The magical plant resembled a piranha flower, usually disguising itself by concealing their sharp thorns and tentacle-like vines that exuded corrosive juices.
Despite facing several magical creatures, Hagrid's intervention saved them from dire situations. In this specific case, Hagrid knew about the existence of this creature, which typically resided in the depths of the Forbidden Forest near the foot of the mountain.
This creature could move slowly, at about five kilometers per hour. Hagrid used a huge crossbow to prevent it from approaching the castle and threatening the safety of teachers and students.
"When did it get here?" Hagrid muttered.
After these few nights, Malfoy deeply realized his mistake and vowed never to violate school rules again, as long as it meant avoiding the Forbidden Forest. The transformative impact of confinement in the Forbidden Forest was evident.
…
After stumbling around for a week, Ted killed a few monsters and gained several hundred experience points. However, he did not relax his vigilance, as Professor Quirrell seemed to be involved in something secretive, leading to reduced private communication.
In the afternoon, there was finally news from Hagrid: "A unicorn was injured. Something attacked it. It's incredible. There shouldn't be any creature in the Forbidden Forest that has this ability!"
"I have to find it quickly and treat its injuries. I also have to find the thing that attacks unicorns... You must be careful!"
Ted's heart tightened, realizing that Quirrell and Voldemort were taking action. Quirrell, unable to obtain the Philosopher's Stone, was facing the consequences of Voldemort's possession.
The little animals possessed by Voldemort had exhausted their vitality and died in almost a day or two.
Although Quirrell was a wizard with decent strength, he couldn't withstand the strain of the past six months. Unicorn blood was also indispensable in Voldemort's resurrection plan.
Although cursed, unicorn blood held a unique power for legendary dark wizards. Quirrell, unable to endure any longer, and Voldemort, impatient for further progress, were compelled to act.
It had been eight months since the school started in September the previous year. Professor Quirrell only obtained the content of the first level, which angering Voldemort, who was already in a bad mental state.
Unicorns are powerful magical beings known for their strength, speed, intelligence, and robust magic resistance, possess the remarkable ability to cast spells, particularly in their later years.
Ordinary wizards, in comparison, stand little chance against these majestic creatures. However, when confronting a wizard of Professor-level like Quirrell and the weakened Voldemort, the challenge posed by unicorns becomes almost effortless.
Moreover, Hagrid's tracking revealed that the injured unicorn was merely a sub-adult individual.
Ted considered it incredible that he could escape from Quirrell. It might even be Quirrell's deliberate act. However, fooling Voldemort was not easy, and Ted realized not everyone could be Snape.
The fate of the unicorn seemed inevitable unless Professor Dumbledore intervened to subdue Professor Quirrell. Professor Dumbledore, with doubts about Quirrell, had no intention of taking action. Quirrell was insignificant compared to Voldemort, the key to the current situation.
Dumbledore suspected that Voldemort was not completely dead, but without concrete evidence, he refrained from taking action easily. The bigger question was why Voldemort was not dead and how to ensure his demise. Without clarifying these two issues, Dumbledore will never take action easily
Ted pondered the complexity of the situation, realizing Dumbledore's cautious approach stemmed from his past experiences with Grindelwald. The way he defeated his old friend was like this. When Voldemort was at his most rampant, he was not sure of victory and did not choose to confront him head-on.
Professor Dumbledore is actually evolving into a strategist rather than a general.
…
Today marked the last night of confinement. Ted suggested to Hagrid to relax his patrols due to the current danger in the Forbidden Forest.
The two teams spent these nights wandering around the edge of the Forbidden Forest, avoiding encounters with Voldemort, unicorns, and other magical creatures. They encountered a few Bowtruckles on the trees, and Anzu almost got eaten by them.
The Bowtruckles resembled green stick insects, and some were emerald green, while others were dark green. Generally harmless, they lived in symbiosis with big trees, retaliating only if their habitat was damaged. Ted managed to appease them with their favorite woodworms, gaining a branch from the centuries-old Dharma-protecting tree.
Two days of relaxing night patrols made the little group feel like they were on an outing rather than facing confinement. Ron, Jerry, and Neville even took out hidden food, started eating, and almost skipped lighting a campfire for a barbecue.
Ted, wearing an invisibility cloak and hiding behind a tree motionless, found their carefree behavior disgusting.
A sharp sound, a red firework rising into the sky, suddenly broke the silence of the Forbidden Forest. Something had happened to Hagrid.
Ted, concluding that Voldemort would not easily cause death and worried about Dumbledore's intervention, immediately instructed the group to retreat to Hagrid's hut and send a message to Professor McGonagall. Putting on his invisibility cloak, Ted hurried towards the woods.
The friends heard Ted's words but never saw Ted's person. They could feel his tension and importance through his behavior of not showing up for more than ten nights and using magic to disguise himself when making a sound.
Ted, for reasons unknown even to himself, was very worried about everyone's confinement in the Forbidden Forest.
"What do we do?" Ron asked.
"I told you to get ready. Are you all prepared?" Harley shouted.
"Well! We are all prepared," Ron shouted immediately.
Jerry and Neville also nodded.
"Let Ansu deliver the message. Let's follow him and take a look. Don't follow too close. Be careful!"
The little lions of Gryffindor were indeed not peaceful masters. Making them obedient was a dream!
(End of this chapter)
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